(August 2, 2021) – Paul Dinn, PC Opposition Shadow Minister of Health and MHA for Topsail-Paradise, is shocked to learn the Liberal government is breaking it’s promise to families who need support to conceive.

Newfoundland and Labrador is one of two provinces in the country which does not have an in-vitro fertilization (IVF) clinic. During the 2021 election campaign, the Liberals announced it would commit review funding opportunities to “enable IVF services in the province.”

On Friday, speaking with media, Health Minister John Haggie broke that promise and denied the election promise was ever made.

“What we undertook to do is develop a travel package … we hope to have some news on the travel front in the near future.” – Health Minister John Haggie, July 30, speaking on VOCM Openline

Dinn says this reversal is unacceptable to the families trying to grow here at home.

“Premier Furey made a promise to people who wish to conceive children with medical assistance here at home, rather than endure endless wait lists and expensive, burdensome travel across the country. Young women and couples have told me that eliminating any travel and having a clinic in the province would be a tremendous help and now his Health Minister confirmed they will break that promise,” said Dinn.

“Newfoundland and Labrador is in the midst of a demographic crisis and now this government wants to maintain barriers to parenthood. It’s an insult to those he made this promise to and it’s counterproductive to the larger goal of growing, not shrinking, our population. We need a literal “made at home’ solution here for which the physicians and expertise currently reside.”

The PC caucus made a commitment to families to find a way to open a local IVF in Newfoundland and Labrador during the election campaign. Dinn says it’s the right thing to do for families in our province.

“Government should be taking down barriers and not putting them up to the families who wish to grow in our province. We must be doing everything in our power to support population growth and take the burden away from the families who are trying to conceive in Newfoundland and Labrador,” said Dinn.

Contacts:

David Maher

Director of Communications

(p) (709) 769-2216

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